


Peace and Quiet

by Player1isgreat



Series: Ambiguous Dreams [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Ventus (mentioned) - Freeform, Xehanort (mentioned) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 02:23:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14392230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Player1isgreat/pseuds/Player1isgreat
Summary: Good night, sleep tight, don't let the Nightmares bite...





	Peace and Quiet

All I could see was light, just as blinding as staring directly at the summer sun. It all belonged to a certain teen my age, possibly more, this very Light safely kept in my heart for eleven whole years.

Even if that promise for him to be strong enough, to return to where he truly belongs just feels like a blur, and in the dawn of my new journey just seemed to stoke the fires of desperation.

After all this time, Ventus couldn't let go, more and more forces of Darkness causing him to leech onto me like a _parasite_.  
Slowly, but surely controlling everything I was ever doing, saying, and even thinking.

I could just hear those words echoing in my head from Xehanort's youth and that thing...looking just like me.  
_'Your heart is a prison, even if you are not the prisoner.'_

Now that I think about it...they were right. I've kept these people in my heart I had no idea about, keeping myself blissfully unaware of the consequences.

They kept whispering in the back of my mind, offering sage advice, memories, and emotions that just aren't mine; the occurrence just too common to find a line to draw.

But that "Mark of Mastery" was the key, pushing the one heart I held onto to the edge, protecting me on the front line.

I feared the Darkness after that, and as I was regaining my lost powers, I began to fear the Light as well.

Just hearing him lash out at this "Vanitas" person, saying his name with so much fury and rage I never felt that greatly; using me like I was a toy.

Paranoia began to take the wheel, helping me release Roxas from this cage, and surprisingly two others. A kind girl, wearing an Organization coat like all the others, but those ocean-blue eyes like mine said a different story.

Ansem the Wise sought refuge in me as well, though I never made enough of a connection to him, he proved the point of my very heart.

No matter how fleeting or faint a meeting was, somehow I found a way to accept anyone I ever believed needed a second chance; showing them a paradise I safely hidden inside me.

But it seemed... _inhuman_. How could I have this power if I have no way to control it? Ven's been with me practically my entire life, it seems, but I don't remember meeting him at all.

What did he do to end up with me?  
And now...why won't he let go?

I am not the prison anymore, but he is.  
No matter what it takes...I need him out, before my entire life is nothing.

And that's why I'm here, in a castle I can barely remember going into, finding a room unpredictably jumping around every floor I climb, hiding from any evils that try to capture the contents inside.

But Aqua thankfully guided me through it all, keeping her gaze towards every door, trying no to look at his— my eyes; a thread-bare line.

An overpowering blue ocean, the boundless sky, wrapping me with such a suffocating warmth.

 

It's so cold.

 

Green, the shade of the earth, the kind of eyes I never expected to have, the life I can never take back.

He's my life, everything I ever did or would ever do...what if he's gone?  
Would I be the same?  
Something just as unrecognizable as my new eyes?

I just couldn't find the answer, climbing up and up, lapses of weakness wishing for me to lay down, to rest in peace within these walls.

But we finally made it, the chamber where _he_ truly belongs, the air feeling quiet and dead to even find anything related to a human being.

But here he was, the only unbidden thought that invaded me was how similar he looks like Roxas, but not.  
Is it just like Vanitas?  
Is he connected to me?

Too many questions, but no answers I didn't want to learn.  
You need to get out of my heart, right here, right now.

The Key is was holding was made of pure Light, my numb hands just feeling the power radiating off of it.

Two pure Lights against "mine", too tired, far too numb to even feel the stab in my chest as I dragged him out to the unnatural white surrounding me.

Everything was blinding, just drowning me in this fear, this anger.  
Why didn't I do this sooner?  
It's finally here...sweet relief.

'So Darkness consumes and Light expires.'

The brightest Light made way to the deepest Darkness, the cold marble greeting me as I fell, my body shocked of all warmth and feeling.

It felt more...soothing, more natural than the force that tried to control me more than once.  
It was like the tranquility of the night, the moon and stars shining down to offer their faint light.

I'm just...tired...please let me sleep.  
Then there was warmth...lifting me off the unforgiving ground, draping my arms around such a kind form, and whisking me away this horrible place.

And now...I sleep.

 

~~~~

 

The more than familiar sound of crashing waves reached my ears, shaking out of my dream to the soft blankets covering me.

In a dreary gaze, I saw my room, messy and disorganized as always, just the way I've had it everyday.

I'm home.  
I made it past the War, saved the worlds, and now I'm home...

It's finally over...  
A flush of overwhelming joy invaded me, but I clearly let it be, taking the form of tears flooding my cheeks.

"Finally...it's been-...so long...I- I can't..."  
I tried to tell myself, hiccuping between my tears. It just felt like a long, horrible dream, everything I ever did all comes down to this.

And I'm glad for it all. I'm home, we're safe, everyone's safe, everything.  
I'm glad...and it just feels so suffocating.

But thankfully, the light shuffling of someone else in my room says otherwise.  
"Sora, you okay sweetie? It's okay...don't cry..."  
"N-no Mom...it's just...I'm so happy. I'm glad...I'm home."

But she only shushed me, stroking my hair lovingly and letting me breathe in her light, flowery perfume; only making me cry even more.

It just feels too good to be true, but I want it to be real.  
"Yeah...I know, Sora. I missed you so much, and you're here. That's all that matters."  
Finally, with sniffles reducing my face to a red, snot-ridden mess, I faintly detected the smell of pancakes in the kitchen; fresh from the pan.

With my stomach growling indefinitely, we both chuckled, breaking from our embrace.  
"Come on, clean up and the first batch's on you. You need a proper meal, young man."

I only waited for her to leave, my curiosity leading me to feel any noticeable grooves around my body, for once noting how thin and gangly I've become.

"Huh...that's weird..."  
It seems pretty clear to see with some shorts and a plain tee, but I'm sure weeks of proper food will fix it in no time.

With that in mind, I went to wash up for a morning I never imagined having in a very long time.

~

So while I was unfortunately devouring half the usual set of pancakes I have, mostly on the assumption how much I've changed weight-wise, I came across the ill-fated question just waiting to be asked.

"So Sora...where've you been this entire time?" My dad asked as calmly as possible, though the creases in his brow said a different story.

"It's...It's a really weird story, I don't know if..."  
"-Sora...we love you, everyday with all our hearts." Mom noted, grabbing my hand with a shaky one; "But that storm...I thought I lost you. You didn't come back, Kairi said you and Riku were safe, but-"

She made a sharp inhale, tears already starting to form; "Whatever you say...no matter how strange it is...we'll accept it, one-hundred percent. That's a promise."  
"Mom...Dad...Of course. Thank you so much!"

With a quick hug from across the table, I broke a chuckle to myself.  
"Ok~, I have a lot to say...but how about this first?"  
They past some confused glances to me as I rose from my chair, holding my hand out to summon a greatly familiar weapon.

_The χ—_ "This is a really special weapon called a Keyblade," I explained, seeing both of them bug-eyed and silent with awe.

"It's a...weird sword in a way, and it has a lot of powers and magic connected to it. There's a whole bunch of them as well, and a lot of them look a lot cooler than this little thing. And you can use it to travel to a whole bunch of worlds and-"

"Wait...worlds?" Mom interrupted me; "How are there more than one?"

"Well...imagine all the stars in the sky, and think that each one is a brand new world. That's what the Keyblade can do, you can just go there! And I met a whole bunch of new friends as well! And the best part is...you can ask Kairi and Riku as well; they have Keyblades too!"

Shock went through their faces again, just on the fact that more besides me have these mystical swords as well.

"...Sorry." I muttered, sitting myself down again with Kingdom Key gone; "I should've told you this sooner, huh?"

But worry thankfully melted away, my Mom sniffling away another tear.  
"Well...it's better now than never. I bet you have a lot to get out, right? We can take all the time you want."

"Thanks..."  
"Now," my dad ushered forward, his eyes like mine twinkling with newfound joy; "What about those new worlds you're so dying to talk about?"

 

~~~~

 

So through the rest of the day, the next morning for extremely good measures, I told them everything.

The endless horizon of worlds, Donald, Goofy, the King, Heartless, Nobodies, Dream Eaters, Nightmares; everything.

They took in every words said, mostly silent except for the occasional interruptions and simple questions.  
But all and all, it felt great to get it all out of my chest.

We laughed, wondered, joked around, hoped and assumed, mostly cried...but the hugs just felt ten times sweeter.

There were new faces, new friends, bonds made and broken, and more wonders being found that were greater than the last.

But the greatest wonder of them all...was just being home, having the ones I love listen to me and everything I had in store.

"But you know, Sora, you have a lot of school work to catch up-"  
"-Aw man, I completely forgot! It's gonna take forever~!"

I groaned, my head buried next to my halved portion of yesterday's dinner.  
"Well...I'm sure Kairi and the others can tutor you, then it won't be too bad for either of you. Remember, Riku's been out on those adventures too."  
"Yeah...you're right."

As I was poking the remnants of my meal with a handy fork, I couldn't help but chuckle at the fact.

"Riku's a tough loaf, big muscles and a little brain. It's really funny."  
"And you're~ our little smarty pants! I'm sure you can get through it. Come on, let's get you to bed."

A lazy smile crept on my lips, feeling my hair being ruffled lovingly as I went to sleep off another day of adventures.

 

~~~~

 

"Come on, guys~! Wait up!"  
I dashed along the old cobble road, thankfully seeing my friends stop and wait for me to catch up.

Finally, the start and strenuous path of education I previously ignored by an extremely long shot. My old school uniform felt surprisingly snug on me, even if my last school session's been over an entire year.

Or maybe it's something else...either way, I really need to bulk up!  
"That's a shocker, Sora overslept! I gotta expect a lot more from you now, huh?" Tidus sarcastically joked, ruffling my bed-head with a playful fist.

"What would you expect? I haven't had my bed in so long, so don't blame me! It's a miracle I even remembered to wake up this morning!"  
"Then you need to set your clock way~ back 'cause you need to catch up on the work ya missed!"

"I know..." I admitted, my head hung low for a few seconds, then I pointed a duo of fingers to my friends across me; "-Study buddies for life, and with our powers combined, we will past this year with flying colors!"

My enthusiasm surely earned me a group chuckle, turning to the entirety of the island, my home.  
"I just...really missed it here, you know?"  
"Yeah...let's go."

 

~~~~

 

"Ugh...My brain's fried~!" I moaned, face-planting on the large wooden table, my insanely-overdue work scattered around me; "I can't think anymore..."  
"Come on you big baby, just a few more minutes, then we can take a break." Kairi merely instructed me- or us, petting my head in the process.

Sure, I've been in the mayor's house to study with her, but it just bores me when there's no "distractions".  
"Hearing the waves outside just helps me think, that's all..."

The island is practically my entire life, the crashing waters just outside my window just making me feel the closest to home.  
The cool sand between my toes, the seagulls, the cool shade of the palm trees, the paopu fruit, the Secret Place, the _do—_

"I don't know~, sounds a bit risky."  
"Ya sure, Princess? Maybe you're not tough enough to last a minute at my house!"  
"Oh yeah!? We'll see about that!"

The chair squeaked knowingly, causing me to see instead of her storming out, her legging-clad legs were on the table; her face buried in a math book.  
"As if I'm falling for that! Besides, we're just one page away. So suck it up and we'll study at your place."

"Alright..."

 

~~~~

 

The waves were just in my sight, just peeking over the book in my hand. This is perfect, I just know it, there's no other way to change my mind.

No matter what world I've been in, nothing will make the play island loose its charm. Not a single jewel in Agrabah or Atlantica.  
Not a single smile of the townsfolk in Twilight Town or Corona.

Nothing.  
I mean...why did I even leave in the first place?  
"-Come on Sora, it's called the play island for a reason!" Kairi chided at me, pulling the textbook out of my weary grasp; "Let's have some fun!"

"Wh- hey, give that back! I was almost done!"  
"With what? Turning your brain into soup?"  
"No~, the last week of work! I'm so close finishing it..."

But now it was Riku voicing his worry, his eyes wavering on a strange solemn tone.  
"Really, Sora. You've been studying for two weeks nonstop, you deserve a break...we all do."

At that, he retrieves the book from Kairi and tossed it back on my lap; his Keyblade flashed into it next.  
"Let's do a couple sparring matches, for the good old days."

But a pulse of fear went through my heart, hammering out of control and causing my throat to clog up. How are those for "good old days"!?  
Keyblades destroyed our home...the island...If it happens again...then—

"-ra, hey...what's wrong?"  
A reassured hug came along, shocking me out of my thoughts and tears—oh...  
I've been crying?

"I-..." I tried so hard to answer, but my friends hugging the sadness out of me made it far from easy.

It's been too long...I don't know...  
But finally, after a few minutes, I finally made a proper sentence.  
"None of this...no Keyblades."

I already knew Riku dissipated his, it still didn't remove the unease, even Kairi made a quick huff to herself in reply.

"That won't be fair...I finally wanted to show you my new moves!"  
"You already showed enough _back there_ , you know?"  
"-Oh, right..."

The atmosphere turned even graver as I sniffled the tears away, my eyes burning from the sun and salty air.  
"Y-Yeah...but we're here. That's...what matters."

"Yeah...come on, ya crybaby." My best friend graciously helped me up, dusting off the sand from the textbook with a firm hand; "I'm sure the swords in the shed are too small. How about we get some material to get better ones?"

"Now you're talking! And I finally get to spar with you two!"

Now that was enough to cheer me up, laughing alongside my two greatest friends in the whole world, back home where we belong.  
The good old days...

 

~~~~

 

The clamor of wooden swords filled my ears practically all afternoon, my breathing passing through me like a tempered storm.

That's all we've been doing, clashing this simple craftsmanship just to show we're all equal; just the three of us.  
Of course Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka come over to watch us, even trying, but failing, to match our strength.

We've been through so much, in our adventures, or even in the normal life.  
We all learned what to do, and I've done my share as well.

For once I can be... _myself_.

 

~~~~

 

"You know...If you guys are still having trouble, I can ask my dad to let me in another year."  
"Wha- why!? Come on Kai, you don't have to do that for us!"

"Oh, why not? It'll be unbearable to just leave you in school another year! And besides...I haven't been aiming for anything important afterwards. Where's that whole 'study-buddies for life' spiel? Huh~, Sora?"

"I mean...if you put it that way..."

But that was enough to agree on, letting us watch the sunset in calming silence.

 

~~~~

 

Day and night, it seems to be the same.

I get up, eat breakfast, get to school, have lunch, get home and change, go to the play island, and do whatever until the sun goes down.

Day in...day out...in sun or in rain...weeks to months...

It's as simple as breathing...nothing more, nothing less.  
That's all I really need, nothing to disturb this systematic peace.

The island lives for me, and I live for it.  
For everyone I ever know.

That's all I ever wanted...

 

~~~~

 

"-Hey, Sora? Time to get up, sleepyhead!"  
"Hm...what?"

I lazily stretched my eyes open to see Kairi next to me on the paopu tree, her cheeks a orange blush from the evening sun.  
"Oh...it's late already?" I yawned, rolling on my feet to lazily follow behind.

"You've been sleeping all day! I guess school hit you full swing again?"  
"Yeah, algebra's the worst! At least I'm taking the weights next year."  
"Ya still wanna be as strong as Riku, huh? Come on, you've been working yourself too hard already, you need a break."

"I have been! I feel better than I ever known in my whole life!"  
"-I'm joking, I'm joking! Just...don't push yourself...okay?"  
I muttered a soft "yeah" as my toes hit the warm sand of the shore, her red hair quickly blurred as she jogged ahead of me.

"Come on, last one to the boat's a rotten egg!"  
"You're on!"

I kicked off, sand wet and dry stuck onto my shorts, bursting forth a laugh as the pier came into my sights; Riku waving to us as the finish line.

With that as my goal, I kept running, lungs burning with clean air, feet slipping and pounding on the shoreline, just running and running until—

 

"-Yes, I won!"  
"No fair, Kairi, you got a head-start!"

But Riku only chuckled, ruffling my hair in the process.  
"Maybe you should take track, your skills are lacking a bit."  
"You should blame my math teacher..."  
"Alright...let's get going."

 

~~~~

 

The sound of thunder shook me awake, droplets of rain pricked my cheeks as the overview of stormy clouds greeted me.

"Aw man..." I grumbled, picking myself up to dust off the accumulative dirt on my shorts.

At least they're pajamas...the weekends the time to chill not to the bone!  
"Sora, hurry!" Riku shouted to me through the increasingly howling winds, waving to me as I charged along the shore.

Oh right...Kai's home studying. That's good.  
"I'm coming, hold your horses!"  
"Come on, you gotta move!"

The wind continued to buffet on the trees, a flash of lightning pulsed in the sky to follow with the brew of thunder, so loud it nearly pierced my ears.

At this rate, we'll get washed away if we go in the water...  
"Riku, over here!" I in turn shouted back, pointing to the beach shed with a frantic hand; leaving him in the dust in return.  
_"Sora!"_

I almost failed to hear him, ripping open the wooden door and holding onto it for dear life as my friend ran after me; ducking under the cover and keeping our backs against the only thing separating us from the storm.

"You were...a bit slow, huh?"  
"Yeah...I guess so..."

That only gave us a light chuckle, seeing the interior we holed up in get darker from the dreary clouds outside.  
"Hold on...let me get a candle."  
"How about _ma—"_  
"-Yeah, I'm sure there's some matches here."

He fell silent as I rustled through the utility chest, unearthing the familiar wooden box. After a quick swipe, the match lit up to bathe the room in a soft glow, helping me locate the worn candle on a built-in shelf.

"There ya go! Now we can see."  
I cheered to myself, seeing the light bounce off the walls with a soothing white glow.  
But when I turned back to face him, something was clearly wrong, seeing Riku burying his head in his arms.

"Hey Riku...what's wrong?"  
_"What did they do to you?"_  
"Huh...?"

I planted myself next to him, his head surely rose to reveal his tear-stained face.  
"We were looking everywhere for you..."  
"Wha- what do you mean? I'm right here...I'm safe..."  
_"-We didn't know where you went...we thought Xehanort found you and Ven...-and..."_

He shot up to his knees, trapping me in a bear-hug as he muffled his sobs in my shoulder. I could do nothing but lazily return the embrace, tears already pricking my eyes as well.

_"You're here...you're really here..."_  
"Y-Yeah...of course I am..." I softly whispered, drowsiness slowly invading as I stared at the flickering sheen of the walls.

I'm sure it's the storm affecting me.  
"Hey...It's okay." My hands felt clammy against him, just trying to wrap around him in reassurance.  
"We'll be home before ya know it...honest..."  
_"What?"_

He pushed me back gently, holding my shoulders and staring at me with wavering eyes.

Hm...he looks different.  
_"Sora..."_  
"I don't hear the storm. We can head back before Kairi and the others worry too much."  
_"But we-"_  
"Let's go home..."

I fell into his arms as I drifted into a muddy dream, hearing the trickle of water outside the door lull me pleasantly to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> *nonsensical bearish grumbling* Yeah, I know...I don't care. You can say whatever ideas you want in the comments. I won't say much either way.


End file.
